Sheath removing machine



July 3, 1951 R. s. BAKER SHEATH REMOVING MACHINE Filed Oct. l2, 1945INVENTOR.

fff/ ATT RNEYS l 52 RAYMOND S. BAKER rate of speed as seen in Fig. 1.

Patented July 3, 1951 ,SHEATH REMOVING MACHINE Raymond S. Baker,Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to Link Aviation, Inc., a corporation of NewYork Application October 12, 1945, Serial No. 621,981

9 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved machine for removing the sheathingfrom sheathed articles and will be illustrated as preferably constructedfor removing the sheathing from electrical cables comprising a pluralityof mutually insulated conductors placed inside the sheathing.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide a simple yet efcientmachine for removing the sheathing without damaging the elements heldinside the same.

vIn order `that the particular nature of my invention may be betterunderstood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein,

Fig. 1 is a general perspective View showing the general relationship ofthe principal parts of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top View of the rotary cutting knife, sheathing guide andbed with an electrical cable shown in the bed, the guard beingYeliminated for purposes of illustration.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the bed with an electrical cable in the bed,the sheathing guide, knife and guard being also shown.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top View of the sheathing guide, showing the point and slotthereof.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional View of the bed adjusting means.

Fig. 7 shows an alternative sheathing guide construction.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that a suitable base plate I0is provided, and this base plate may be suitably affixed upon a bench orthe like by inserting screws through the holes I2. Fixedly carried bythe base plate I0 is the block I4 which supports the electric motor I6which in turn is affixed upon block I4 by means of screws I8. The outputshaft of the motor I6 is numbered 2li in Figs. 1 and 2 and affixed uponthe outer end of this shaft by means of set screw Y 24 is the rotarycutting knife 22 which is driven by motor I6 'in the clockwise directionat a high A suitable supporting block 25 is ixedly held by the bracket21 which in turn is held by the block I4. Block 26 as best seen in Fig.3 supports the arm 28 which in turn supports the guard 3U whichsurrounds the knife 22 as shown. In Figs. 3 and 4 it will be noted thatthe guard 30 is provided with a groove 32 through which the cuttingedgeof the knife 22 travels.

In Figs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that a pointed, tapered sheath guide 34is provided, this sheath guide being held by the block 26. Integral withthe sheath guide 34 is the Avertical threaded extension 36 'which passesthrough a bore in the block 26. A nut 38 coacts with the threaded eX-tensiong and is positioned below the block 26 while a second nut 40 alsocoacts With the threaded extension 36 and is placed above block 26. Itshould be noted that the nut 4D has an integral hollow bell-shapedportion 46a which receives the upper end of threaded extension 36. Byvirtue of this arrangement the sheathing guide 34 may be adjustedvertically in relation to the cutting knife 22 and may be properlyangularly adjusted with respect to the cutting knife.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the sheathing guide 34 ispointed and tapered at its forward end and that it is provided with agroove 42 through which the knife 22 travels.

This feature of my invention is also shown inv Fig. 3. As clearly shownin Figs. 1 and 3, the pointed tip of the sheathing guide 34 ispreferably positioned slightly ahead of the vertical center line of theknife 22 and slightly below the lower edge of the knife. The upper edgesof the slot 42 slant upwardly so that they are higher than the adjacentportion of the knife 22, and thereforethe knife 22 travels in the slot.The side appearance of the guide 34 resembles a wedge.

In the drawings it will be seen that a cable bed 50 is xedly mountedupon the upper end of the vertical plunger 5I and that a second bed 52ts inside and is carried by the lower bed 50. Integral with the left endof bed 52 is the lip 54 which coacts with the left end of the lower bed5Fl, and integral with the inner bed 52 is thev stud 56 which extendsthrough a suitable hole in bed 50. Accordingly, bed 52 is removable fromthe bed 50 for a purpose to be later described and the lip 54 and stud56 prevent relative movement between the two beds 50 and 52 when theyare in assembled relation as shown. In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, the beds 50 and 52 are semi-cylindrical in shape because ofthe shape of the cables. The bed or beds may be of any suitable shape,depending upon the shape of the sheathed article. For some uses the bedmay simply be a ilat surface.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 6, the base plate III is shownand a circular bore 58 is placed therein for the reception of thecircular sleeve 6D which has an integral flange 62 which rests uponplate I0. Placed inside the sleeve 66 is the hollow threaded sleeve 64,but it should be noted that the interior of sleeve 6I! is not threadedfor coaction with the threadsupon the exterior:

of sleeve B4. A nut 66 encircles the upper end of sleeve 64 to coacttherewith and a nut 68 encircles the lower end of sleeve 64 for coactiontherewith. It will be appreciated that by manipulating the nuts 66 and68 the vertical position of sleeve 64 relative to sleeve 60 may bechanged.

'Ihe plunger 5| is placed inside sleeve 64 and aixed in the lower end ofplunger 5| is the upper end of vertical link 10, to the lower end ofwhich is connected the upper end of cable 12. The lower end of cable 12connects to the -forward end of the foot pedal 14 which is pivoted bythe hinge |6. A cap 18 is threaded into the lower end of sleeve 64 to beheld thereby and a compression spring 80 encircles the upper end of linkl and is positioned between cap 'I8 and the lower end of plunger A slot82 is placed in the sleeve 64 and a pin 84 integral with plunger 5|extends through the slot 32.

As best seen in Fig. 1, a pair of circular slots 86 and 88 are placed inthe annular flange 62 and a pair of set screws 90 and 92 pass throughthese slots. As best seen in Fig. 6 the setgscrews 90' and 92 are heldby the plate |0.

In view of the above arrangement it will be appreciated that thevertical position of the beds 50 and 52 relative to the cutting knife 22may be adjusted by manipulation of the nuts 66 and` 68. Secondly, itwill be apprecited that by depressing the foot pedal 14, the plunger 5|and the beds 50 and 52 may be moved downwardly a distance equal to thetravel of pin 84 in slot 82. Release of the foot pedal 14 permits thecompression spring 80 to move the plunger 5| and beds 50 and 52 to theiruppermost position as shown in Fig. 6. Lastly, by relaxing the setscrews 90 and 92 the entire assembly shown in Fig. 6 down to andincluding link may be rotated about the axis of plunger 5|. In thismanner the angle of the beds 50 and 52 relative to the cutting knife 22may be adjusted.

In the use of my improved sheathing removing machine it will beappreciated that the beds 50 and 52 should be vertically displaced fromthe cutting knife 22 according to the diameter of the sheathing and itsenclosed elements. This initial adjustment may be accomplished bymanipulation of the nuts 66 and 68 and/or fitting an interior bed 52 ofthe proper size in the lower bed 50. For example, if the operator of thedevice customarily employs the machine for removing the sheathing from aplurality of cables having different diameters of not too great aspread, the nuts 66 and 68 may be positioned so that the bed 50 isproperly spaced from the cutting knife 22 when work is 'being performedupon the cable of largest diameter. For other cables of lesser diameterbeds 52 of selected size are positioned in the bed 50 as shown in thedrawings.

After the apparatus has been adjusted as just described for verticaldistance between the upper bed and the cutting knife, the angularrelationship between the beds and the cutting knife must be established.This may be done by releasing the set screws 90 and 92 as described,whereupon the beds may be manually rotated'. For certain types of workit may be satisfactory to align the bedor beds parallel to the plane oi'the cutting knife 22. When this has been accomplished, the

operator may press down upon the foot pedal 14 and place the sheathedcable in the upper bed,

being careful to see that the point of the guide` Lic'guide, he may alsotwist the cable so that thev under the sheathing |00 along the valleyformed Figs. 2 and 3. The foot pedal 14 is then released, allowing thebeds 50 and 52 to move upwardly and press the sheathing against thecutting edge of the knife 22. By means of a suitable switchingarrangement, the motor I6 may then be started and the sheathed cable ismanually moved by the operator toward the knife 22. As the cable andsheathing move toward the knife, the wedgelike action of guide 34 raisesthe sheathing above the slot 42, and the rotation of the knife cuts thatportion of the sheathing held between the knife and the guide 34 a shortdistance to the rear of the point of the guide. At the same time thewedge-like shape of the guide forces the individual conductors |02inside the sheathing downwardly, thereby preventing them from contactingthe knife. Accordingly, the point of guide 34 progresses easily underthe sheathing |00 is a slight distance ahead oft the cutting point andthe sheathing is continuously fed up into the cutting position by guide34.

In removing the sheathing from electrical cables by use of the apparatusdescribed above, the supporting bed should be aligned parallel to thecutting knife 22 only in the event that the individual cables heldinside the sheathing form a relatively smooth surface. When the cableswithin the sheathing are perfectly positioned relative to one another soas to give a relatively smooth overall shape, it is possible to removethe sheathing as just described. However, when the individual conductorswithin the cable are somewhat irregularly positioned, the set screws and92 may be loosened so that the beds 50 and 52 are at an angle relativeto the plane of the cutting knife 22, as shown in Fig. 2. The cable isinserted in the beds relative to the cutting knife and guide 34 aspreviously described, and as the operator moves the cable toward thecutting knife and cutting knife 22 and guide 34 are generally parallelto the portions of the individual conductors adjacent the guide 34. Inthis manner the point of guide 34 progresses ahead of the cutting pointby the adjacent conductors, and the guide 34 lifts the sheathing up intothe cutting position. In this manner the sheathing may be removed fromcables having a rather irregular pattern withoutany danger of thecutting knife 22 severing the insulation upon any of the individualconductors.

In the event it is desired to separate the individual conductors of thecable during the cutting process, the sheathing guide 34 may be provided`1 with a depending 'n |04, as shown in Fig. 7. It has been found byactual experience that by employing the previously described apparatus,the sheathing upon electrical cables may be easily and quickly removedwithout causing damage to the insulation of the individual conductorscontained within the sheathing.

It will be appreciated that 4changes may 'be' made in the preferredembodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

sheathing from other types of materials than disclaims.

I claim:

1. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same,.a 5Vpointedand slotted sheathing guide positioned Also, my invention may be usedfor removing Vthe underneath said knife, said guide being positionedwith its point approximately below the center of rotation of the knifeand so that the cutting edge of the knife travels in the slot in theguide, and a bed underneath said guide and knife for holdin-g thearticle against the underside of the guide.

2. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same, a sheathingguide having a point and slot positioned underneath said knife, thepoint of said guide being positioned approximately below the center ofrotation of the knife and the slot being positioned to the rear of thepoint so that the cutting edge of the knife travels in the slot, theedges of the slot extending upwardly to guide the sheathing upwardlyagainst the cutting edge, and a bed positioned underneath the knife andguide for holding the article against the underside of the guide.

3. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same, a pointed andslotted sheathing guide positioned underneath said knife, the point ofsaid guide being positioned approximately below the center of rotationof the knife and a slight distance below the cutting edge of said knife,the top edges of said slots being inclined upwardly from said point to aheight above the adjacent portion of said cutting edge so that saidcutting edge travels through said slot, and a bed underneath said guideand knife for holding the article against the underside of the guide.

4. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same, a pointed andslotted sheathing guide positioned underneath said knife, the point ofsaid guide being positioned slightly ahead of the vertical center-lineof said knife and a slight distance below the cutting edge of saidknife, the top edges of said slots being inclined upwardly from saidpoint to a height above the adjacent portion of said cutting edge sothat said cutting edge travels through said slot, and a bed underneathsaid guide and knife for holding the article against the underside ofthe guide.

5. A machine for removing sheathing from sheathed articles comprising,in combination, av

rotary knife having a cutting edge, means connected to said knife fordriving thesame, a slotted sheathing guide positioned below said knifeso that when driven the cutting edge of said knife travels through theslot in said guide, and an adjustable bed below said guide and knife forsupporting the sheathed article.

6. A machine for removing sheathing from sheathed articles comprising,in combination, a rotary knife having a cutting edge, means connected tosaid knife for driving the same, a. slotted sheathing guide positionedbelow said knife so that when driven the cutting edge of said knifetravels through the slot in said guide, and a bed angularly adjustablein a plane perpendicular to the plane of the knife positioned below saidguide and knife for supporting the sheathed article.

7. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same, a pointed andslotted sheathing guide positioned below said knife, the point of saidguide being positioned approximately below the center of rotation of theknife and a slight distance below the cutting edge of said knife, thetop edges of said slots being inclined upwardly from said point to aheight above the adjacent portion of said cutting edge so that saidcutting edge travels through said slot, and a bed angularly adjustablein a plane perpendicular to the plane of the knife positioned below saidguide and knife for supporting the sheathed article.

8. A machine for removing sheathing from sheathed articles comprising,in combination, a rotary knife having a cutting edge, means connected tosaid knife for driving the same, a slotted sheathing guide positionedbelow said knife so that when driven the cutting edge of said knifetravels through the slot in said guide, a bed angularly adjustable in aplane perpendicular to the plane of the knife positioned below saidguide and knife for supporting the sheathed article, and manuallyoperable means for changing the vertical position of said bed.

9. A machine for removing the sheathing from sheathed articlescomprising, in combination, a rotary cutting knife having a cuttingedge, means connected to said knife for driving the same, a pointed andslotted sheathing guide positioned below said knife, the point of saidguide being positioned approximately below the center of rotation of theknife and a slight distance below the cutting edge of said knife, thetop edges of said slots being inclined upwardly from said point to aheight above the adjacent portion of said cutting edge so that saidcutting edge travels through said slot. a bed angularly adjustable in aplane perpendicular to the plane of the knlfe positioned below saidguide and knife for supporting the sheathed article, and manuallyoperable means for changing the vertical position of said bed.

RAYMOND S. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,914,528 Reid June 20, 19332,366,271 Lerch Jan. 2, 1945

